NRL
AAP 4y

Niukore charged over NRL crusher tackle

NRL

Parramatta forward Marata Niukore has become the first player charged for a crusher tackle since an NRL crackdown but Melbourne duo Cooper Johns and Albert Vete have been let off.

In a stunning postscript to Thursday night's dramatic 14-0 win by the Eels, Johns and Vete both avoided charges from the match review committee on Friday.

Instead Niukore is the man facing a possible two-match ban for his tackle on Tom Eisenhuth after the incident wasn't penalised.

The charge sheet is sure to pour further fuel on the fire about players staying down to win penalties.

Eels coach Brad Arthur denied any suggestion of that on Thursday night, after both Maika Sivo and Nathan Brown were slow to get up following the Johns and Vete tackles.

Told of Arthur's comments, an angry Bellamy said he disagreed.

Regardless, Niukore will now have two matches to serve if he fights the case at the judiciary and loses, or one if he takes an early-guilty plea.

Under the NRL's old system, an early-guilty plea would have seen him avoid suspension.

In further good news for Melbourne, Nelson Asofa-Solomona will only be fined for his high tackle on Niukore in the second half that saw him sin-binned.

The developments come as Manly coach Des Hasler warned he was concerned too many players could face bans for accidental incidents.

The NRL upped the penalty after 18 players were charged with crusher tackles this year in 14 rounds, compared to 12 across 25 rounds last season.

"We've backed ourselves into a situation where it's the position the players find themselves getting into," Hasler said.

"The person defending has no intention of doing a crusher tackle.

"But it's the situation the attacking player finds himself in by backing into a tackle.

"There are some crusher tackles where players really work to put pressure down on them, but a lot are not genuine and are accidents happening.

"It can have a big impact if a player has carryover points, they can face a two-week suspension on something that was probably (accidental)."

^ Back to Top ^